Modern Missions

1900-2000Part 1

The battle for the minds of men. Global paradigm shifts were matured in every sphere of life around the world confusing the basis of a Truth-based message

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Major events at 1900 forced changes

Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) against eight colonial powers in China resulted in 182 Protestant missionaries killed and 500 Chinese Protestants

Communist Manifesto (1848) let to Russian Communist Revolution in 1914; Chinese People’s Revolution 1949; Cuban Revolution, 1959. By the end of the century Marxism is entrenched in most

secular universities in Europe and USA, (US News & World Report 2003)

Darwin (1864) Origin of the Species led to Secular Humanism founders Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Lenin, Stalin, Russell, Heidegger, Gramsci, John Dewey, and Kinsey, etc

Pentecostal-like experiences (1901) at Azusa Street revival prompt massive quest for supernatural powers in the face of growing skepticism and secularism, that explode after 1960.

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Holy Chinese martyrs

Karl Marx

Darwin, Social concerns and LiberalismAs social issues became critical energy, resources,

personnel, and focus was obligated to change (slavery, poverty, alcoholism, health, education, labor abuse, orphans, etc)

Eventually Darwin’s explanation explained away a Creator and Schleiermacher’s Documentary Hypothesis explained away Revelation and Inspiration of the Bible, there was no foundation for Christianity. – the worldview had changed

As liberals astutely gained control of seminaries and denominations, fundamentalists were shut out

Missions became a concern to improve the lifestyle of fellow humans in a passive demonstration of God’s love without offensive F2F or public proclamation

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World Mission Conferences and Ecumenical Movement

Carey proposed the World Missionary Conference in S. Africa in 1810 but not realized until 1910.

John Mott, leader of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) presided with theme “Evangelization of the World in this Generation”

The notion of a united Christian Church, even with the sacrifice of major doctrinal views, was thought to have greater appeal, especially with humanitarianism emphasis

As the movement changed from a missionary focus to a church focus, then denominational focus (to incorporate more 3rd world leaders) liberal theologians took increasing control of committees

The doctrine of Separation is adapted by fundamentalist churches and denominations, giving birth to the Independent Baptist Movement

The Fundamentalism/modernism controversy led to the World’s Christian Fundamentalist Association (WCFA) in 1919

Within another 10 years scores of independent fundamentalists mission agencies and associations/denominations formed in protest to the liberal ecumenical movement.

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John Mott (1865-1955)

World Wars I & II Economic chaos of Europe/Germany after WWI demanded

dictatorial powers to solve: Hitler volunteered.

Hitler’s nationalism and racism rejected Christianity as detriments to his master race and politics – elimination any negative element

Only 39 years in the 20th century the US was not embroiled in major wars (not counting smaller national civil or revolutionary wars – difficult times

Between 60 and 100 million people killed.

Economies devastated making contributions scarce

As Colonialism dissolves, new countries, geo-political unites, are drawn on the map with little understanding of people groups

Advances in technology (radio, aviation, penicillin, computers) would transform world missions for the remainder of the century

Soldiers, many of whom came to Christ in the military, flooded existing Bible Colleges to prepare for the ministry and missions

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Allied Invasion of Normandy June 6,

1944

Ministry to Military: Navigators Dawson Trotman began to teach discipleship principles in local

Sunday Schools

In 1933 they extended their evangelism/discipleship to sailors in the U.S. Navy

A sailor Les Spencer brought a sailor to Trotman and asked him to teach his friend what he had learned. Trotman replied, “You teach him!”

Many hours spent in Bible Study, Scripture memorization, prayer and how to teach others in small groups or individually

By the end of WWII thousands of sailors had been discipled and a new ministry was born

Today the Discipling ministry of the Navigators is a key campus ministry, a church ministry and Small Group training

Trotman gave his life to save two campers at Word of Life lake in New York who had fallen off a boat. He rescued them but drowned in the effort.

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Communism and the Cold War (1945-1990)To defeat Germany the Allies made an alliance

with Russia (to create 2 fronts).

In recompense to Russia given most of E. Europe

Vast anti-communist movement in countries attempted to stem the tide Between 1978-1983 in Argentina 30,000 suspected

communist disappeared; in Chile, 5,000 + disappeared; to a lesser extent rightist military regimes treated dissidents unjustly.

Revolutionary wars broke out in numerous countries in S. America, Africa, SE Asia – many continuing

1/3 of world’s population under communist state in 1980 (British Empire only ruled 25% of global pop)

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Mao Zedong as continuing legacy

Communism in the 20st century

Vadimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary Bolshevik Party politician was the leader of the October (1917) Revolution and first head of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Democratic governments gave way to Socialist Democracies mostly because of social inequities, in transition to communism (proxy wars)

Today Radical communism is only modeled in Cuba, N. Korea, Laos, Vietnam, China is becoming a blend of communist capitalism Elected Communist parties in Moldova, Cyprus and Nepal (also 3 Indian states)

Liberal parties have been repressed in many parts of the world until the last few years The problem of democracy is the majority win Two elements produce popularity and votes:

Hope for money and improvements Ideology engendered in communities through education

Hugo Chavez’s victory in Venezuela in 1999 to establish the Bolivarian Revolution an increasing threat to democracy in our hemisphere Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua

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1947 warning of Communist takeover

Bible Distribution Missions to the Iron CurtainBible Smuggling – Holland’s Brother Andrews (b.

1928)– Open Doors, began in 1957 running vanloads of Russian-language Bibles– works in 60 countries for the Persecuted Church Carried on by 40 different organizations

Joe Bass – Underground Evangelism Michael Wurmbrand – Jesus to the Communist World

From 1950-1990 more than 12 million Bibles/NT sent to Eastern Europe along with teaching Bible studies and how to witness

The longest prison term was 3 ½ years in Czechoslovakia Usually interrogated for a few hours and refused entry

Key to House church movement: Bibles and training

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Colonialism to Independence: a period of kingdom building Colonialism is the extension of one nation’s sovereignty over territory beyond

its borders To establish colonies or administrative dependencies Indigenous leaders are displaced or made subject Objective is exploitation of resources, labor & market Imposition of socio-cultural, religious and linguistic structure on the

conquered population America yielded to colonialism by incorporating the Philippines, Guam, Cuba

(1898 to 1902), Puerto Rico and Hawaii as American territories. All would be liberated to become independent or Trust territories except

Hawaii which became a state

At the end of WWI all colonies of losers were distributed among the victors

At the end of WWII decolonization began seriously

Shift from colonialism to interventionist in US policy since 1960 for cause of democracy 228 cases of American intervention from 1973 to 2005 resulted in

95 caused no change in country’s democracy 69 instances the country became less democratic after intervention 63 cases the country became more democratic

In 2004 the US had 700 military bases in 130 different countries

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Progress of Colonialism 11

1st World, 2nd World, 3rd World The United Nations first organized in 1945 with 51 member

nations; 1980 had 154 nations; 1990, 159 Most of new countries located in 3rd World (GREEN) or

underdeveloped countries – industrialization, globalization, standard of living, etc Primary location of foreign missions

Anti-colonial struggle bitter and often bloody Three changes as a result of the fall of colonialism:

1. Image of Christianity changed

2. Status of national church changed

3. Role of the missionary changed 30 years until missionaries forced to transfer power to

nationals in an Indigenous Policy Movement – Paternalism was a carry-over from Colonialism that was hard to break

Partnership ministries in the last few decades of the century broke many of these barriers elevating national leaders

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First (blue), Second (red) and Third (green) World during the Cold War (1946-1990)

Ministries between 1930-1950

UFM

Wycliffe Bible Translators

Youth For Christ

Child Evangelism Fellowship

New Tribes Mission

NAE

EFMA

Before 1980 17,500 distinct Para-Church ministries started

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Some Influential MissionariesPeter Cameron Scott – African Inland Mission

(AIM) Went as a missionary in 1895, but died in 1896 of

blackwater fever, along with several others Charles Hurlburt became the director opened doors

C. I. Scofield – Central American Mission (CAM) Influenced by Hudson Taylor to start CAM in 1890 Most famous for his premillennial dispensationalism

and his footnoted Reference Bible

Jim Elliot – Gospel Mission Union (GMU) – Aucas Killed along with 4 other missionaries attempting to

reach the Waodoni (Auca) Indians Most dramatic challenge to missions to which tens of

thousands responded to replace their loss “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain

what he cannot loose.”

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C.I. Scofield (1843-1921)

Jim Elliot (1927-1956)

Evangelistic Campaigns of 20th century

Moody Campaigns of 1890 Spokesman for YMCA youth ministry and pastor of Illinois St. Church, which burnt in Chicago

fire of 1871, then turned to evangelism Promoted the use of the Wordless Book, invented by Charles Spurgeon in 1866, but he

added “gold” for heaven. Led Hudson Taylor’s dad to Christ, met Hudson on his revivals in England in 1873-1875, then

campaigns from New York to Boston with crowds of 12,000 to 20,000, just as in England Billy Sunday, converted baseball player, from 1900-1920

More than a million people came forward to receive Christ– preached to more than 100 million F2F w/o amplification

Preached 20,000 sermons (av. 42/mo from 1896-1935) Campaigns typically lasted 6 weeks w/ 79 meetings

Bob Jones Sr., America’s Second most popular evangelist By 40 years of age had preached to 15 million F2F Secularism and friend William Jennings Bryan persuaded Jones to start a Christian College One of first religious broadcasters in 1927, for 35 years President of Association of Evangelists (1000 evangelists) In 1950 led the split between the fundamentalists and neo-evangelicals In the New York Campaign of Billy Graham ecumenical sponsorship was sought with

executive committee who denied major tenets of the faith Preaching and mass Evangelism became the norm in America by 1950, but would

die by the end of the century with Billy Graham’s passing

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Bob Jones Sr. (1883-1968)

D. L. Moody (1837-1899)

Billy Sunday